An Alliance
I had been told that the eyes are the path to the soul. As I sit here, in front of this mirror, I wonder about it. Perhaps it does, or maybe it leads to the gate of the soul, our memories. Our memories are what define us as to who we are. Without them, we have no knowledge of where we've been, nor do we know where we are going.
There are several things I think of, few of which are pleasant. There is the senseless, tragic, murder of my parents. There is me, covered in splotches of blood--their blood. Then, most of it is black. I recall almost nothing, other than a calling to survive. Who I am, and what I do, was lost to me. I'm still not too sure who I am. I know that I am bound to the Dark One, and that I am the one that killed off my own family.
At that, a young woman, Leona Heidren, draws herself away from the mirror. To some the ice-cold floor under their feet would feel...inconvenient. For Leona, it matters little, for she has other things in her life. There are others here, as well. She thinks about them, and decides to look around. Outside of the usual sentries, everyone else is asleep. Her visits may be considered as such, or maybe, they serve to reassure herself that she isn't alone anymore.
She looks over the little divider, and sees her roommate. Leona had a lot of reason to resent Whip. One of the first things that annoyed her was her name: "What type of idiot goes by the name 'Whip?'" It's not that she meant disrespect, but she didn't have respect for a show-off. Then, there was something that took her a long time to forgive. Until Whip came, she had her own room!
Leona had found some slight pleasure in having a room all to herself. It was a time that she could be alone with her thoughts, bad or good. To a degree, she could act how she wanted, and didn't have to explain herself to anyone, or worry about them prying...it wasn't until near the end of KOF'99 that the women grew to respect each other.
She walked around several minutes, the searchlights at the various patrol posts providing more than enough light for her to see where she was going. She knew exactly where she wanted to go, and how to get there. She listened closely to the door. Satisfied that they were asleep, Leona entered Ralf and Clark's room.
They had had a heavy workout, before going to sleep. They were still in their day clothes; Clark even had his cap and shades on! She looked over to Ralf, and smiled seeing that he still had his bandanna on. Leona noticed an odd bulge; from the smell, Ralf had finished an entire bottle of it. Thoughtfully, she put it in his night stand. She bent close to him, and whispered thanks.
She fell to the floor, as he moved. She was dead quiet. Then, after some rustling, Ralf's sleep went on, and Leona went to visit her father.
She entered with the same silence, and bent down beside his bed. He actually looked at peace. She was a few inches from his face...no! She's too old to kiss her dad good-night.
Now that she had seen her family, she slowly walked back to her room, knowing that she had already been up too long, and that she'd be dead tired when she was supposed to wake up.
Now that she thinks about it, she would almost laugh. Always interesting things to think of, while on a 'reckon' mission. After much time, it was believed that Krizalid (or a clone) had established some major noise-makers. Rumors also said that he had ties with an international crime syndicate, that was in the process of rebuilding.
Who or whatever it is, they had left in a hurry, destroying a lot of heavy hi-tech equipment. The entire team, as well as several others from their troop, were doing a scan, to see what was left.
"Look, Leona. It is them."
There, above a door, was a sign. On it, was 'The Kusangi Clone Project.'
"I'll open it. Whip..!"
Leona kicked the door in, and shot back. Nothing. She peered in. The only light came from the room they were in. She found a switch near the door, and hit it. She turned her eyes back to the door, and froze. She began to tremble, as the memories of what she did as a little girl raged from within her.
*****
"Moma! Moma! Wake up! It's already started! Come on, let's watch! Daddy's fight will start soon!"
"Huh? Sakura? That's today? Ok, ok. I'll be there in a few minutes. Is your brother awake?"
"He's the one that woke me up. We'll be waiting for you."
As the young girl ran out the room, slamming the door beside her, her mother sighed. She turned to the empty spot at the bed, and sighed slightly heavier. Chun Li wondered how she let Ryu talk her into joining this tournament, and even more as to how she could let him join up so soon.
They had been through a lot together. In fact, their first child, Sakura, nearly died at birth. The doctors couldn't see why she was so ill. There was little they could do, other than to simply wait, and prey. Perhaps, they had a guardian angel. Maybe, their daughter's namesake was looking out for her. It did make that near tragedy less painful, especially when she stopped to think that it was considered 'hopeless.' That was one time she was glad they were both defiant of authority.
Benjamin was better. He was a regular birth, so to speak. More importantly, while she had to direct her attention to the new baby, Ryu made sure that Sakura wouldn't be too jealous. It's natural for it to happen, and she was thankful that he was there to help her with them.
"Mom! What took you so long? You've already missed several of today's opening fights. They're replaying the closing moments of the fights. Sit down! Sit down!"
"Ok! Ok! I know when I'm outnumbered. Next thing I know...you will sit on my lap to keep me here...thanks, Benjamin."
All three laughed, and turned their attention to the big screen, to watch the replays.
The first match they saw was Sagat against some huge German nobleman, Wolfgang Krauser!
Each man had his share of wounds. Each were breathing heavily. However, Krauser was still standing, while Sagat was down to one near, light shining off of his sweat-soaked body.
"It has been a wonderful show, Sagat. I have enjoyed this match. Now, I must bid you farewell. Kaiser..."
"Tiger...Genocide!"
The first knee slammed into Krauser's gut, while the second one smashed into his head. After a second to position himself, Sagat blasted off, ramming his fist into Krauser's body. Just as it ended, and Krauser staggered, Sagat took off with a second, sending Krauser to the ground.
"The winner, Sagat!"
"Do not challenge that which you cannot defeat!"
Sagat crossed his arms, and his body shook violently. Then, he laughed his vengeful laugh, the laugh that Chun Li knew too well. It sent a shiver over her. The only thing that could be worse would be if...NO! She couldn't think of that!
The next fight up was with her good friend, Cammy. Her opponent was so girl named Blue Mary. Interesting name, Chun Li thought. I wonder why she's named *Blue* Mary? Then again, Cammy's last name is White, right? Now, all that is needed is...
"Moooom! Ben's kicking me!"
"Benjamin! Stop it, or else you won't watch father's match. If there's any more complaints from either of you, you won't watch any of the fights. I'll also be sure to tell your father, just so you don't try to coax him into letting you watch while I'm at mine."
"Yes mom!" they both echoed.
"Mom?" asked Benjamin, "What does 'coax' mean?"
She looked down at her son, smiled, and told him to watch their 'Aunt Cammy's fight.'
Cammy twisted, and swung her fist into Mary. Mary was ready, and grabbed it. She then twisted them around, dropped Cammy to the ground, and yanked on Cammy's arm. Cammy howled in pain, as she felt like her arm was ripped from it's socket.
Mary picked Cammy up, and suplexed her. However, Cammy took most of the shock with her hands. She leapt onto Mary, and went for a Frankenstiener, only for Mary to counter it with a powerbomb.
Those two must be watching too much professional wrestling, thought Chun Li.
"Here we go!"
Mary flew in like an arrow, and slid across the ground, to jerk Cammy's legs to the ground. Cammy was faster, and blocked it.
"My turn!"
Cammy, smashed into Mary with her Canon Drill, a violent whirl erupting. Then, a second to touch down, and reposition herself, and her foot smashed into Mary's jaw, finishing off the attack.
"Winner is, Cammy!"
"You must enjoy getting beat! Let me remodel your face one more time!"
Cammy turned around, paused for several seconds, and turned back with a smile, holding her beret in one hand.
Cammy, always the show-off, Chun Li thought. Then, she felt sick. She couldn't believe the man she saw in the tv. He was responsible for most of her nightmares! It's M. Bison!
His opponent looked part Borg; Rugal. The thing that stuck out most about him was his right eye. It had a eerie red glow. Whatever it was, it was just as evil as the man who had it, and the man who fought against him.
Bison shot in with a Scissor-Kick, which Rugal let hit him. That is how it appeared, until he caught Bison with his Genocide Cutter, slamming Bison to the ground with authority. He then picked Bison up, and began to electrocute him, before dumping him to the ground. Rugal powered up, and sent a spark toward Bison.
Bison laughed, and reappeared behind Rugal. He then slammed into Rugal with a Flaming Torpedo, frying his large foe. As Rugal rose, Chun Li could see what was coming, and didn't want to look. It was too much.
A small swarm of Bisons appeared, and each drove with a series of Scissor-Kicks into their target. Then, Bison added several of his own, before Rugal fell.
"Winner is, Bison!"
Bison stood at attention, laughing his sinister laugh.
Chun Li gapped, as a young woman entered the ring, and approached Bison. For some reason, she could tell that she wasn't there to fight him. Then, she realized that the young woman's hat bore the same symbol that Bison's did. It couldn't be that Shadowloo was reforming, could it?
She also felt sick, at some of the similarities between them. Her hair color was nearly the same as his, only a slightly lighter shade. She also had the same, dominating, demeanor as the man she approached.
Her outfit resembled his in some basic ways, but still noted her femininity. It was a navy blue dress uniform...it vaguely reminded her of the outfit Cammy had worn, such a long time ago. She couldn't tell for sure, but the heals looked rather long, and rather sharp.
Bison turned his attention to the young woman that approached him, and his eyes glowed. It wasn't their usual, evil glow. It was something very different. It was as if they had some very tight bond. She also returned his smile, as she casually approached him. As she approached Rugal, she stepped on, and over him, and into Bison's arms. He hugged her tightly, and kissed her.
"Excuse me, children. I need to go to the bathroom. (I'm going to be sick!)"
Chun Li went to the back, and felt cold, all over.
*****
"You were distracted, Bison," the lady spoke, boldly.
"You know, I would kill most others for such a remark."
She smiled, as they headed out of the arena, and nodded. She knew that he wouldn't do anything to her. She was his special girl.
"So, what's your excuse?" she asked, as they got into his private limo, and drove off.
"It's about this new partnership, with Kriz...now don't look at me like that!"
"I want this as much as you! But I HATE the idea of even pretending to like him! It makes me sick! If we didn't need his help..!"
"We wouldn't be doing this, would we?"
"...No. This had better be worth it; dad."
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